Il treno arriva in orario.

The train arrives on time.

Breakdown of Il treno arriva in orario.

• arrivare: to arrive
• il treno: the train
• in orario: on time

Questions & Answers about Il treno arriva in orario.

Why is il used before treno, and not lo or l’?

Italian definite articles change according to the first sound of the following word. Use il before most consonants (e.g. treno, tavolo).
Use lo (or l’ before vowels) for words that start with s+consonant (scuola, sport), z (zaino), gn (gnomo), ps (psicologo), x, y, etc. Since treno begins with a plain /t/, the correct article is il.

What person and tense is arriva?

Arriva is the third person singular present indicative of arrivare (“to arrive”).
So Il treno arriva… literally means The train arrives… (he/she/it arrives).

Why do we say in orario, and not a orario or di orario?

In orario is an idiomatic adverbial phrase meaning on time (i.e. according to schedule). Other prepositions don’t work in this context:

• a orario and di orario are ungrammatical for punctuality.
• When you want to specify a clock time you use a (or alle): arriva alle 9 (“it arrives at 9”).

Is orario an adverb in this sentence?

No. Orario is a noun meaning timetable or schedule. Here it’s used adverbially within the fixed expression in orario, so it behaves like an adverb without changing its part of speech.

Can I say Il treno arriva puntuale instead? What’s the difference?

Yes.

• Puntuale is an adjective meaning “punctual.”
• In orario emphasizes sticking to the schedule itself.
• Puntuale highlights the train’s punctual character.
  You can also turn the adjective into an adverb: arriva puntualmente.

How do I say “the train arrives at 9” in Italian?

Use the preposition a with the definite article for hours:
Il treno arriva alle 9.
(Here a + le becomes alle. For 1 o’clock you’d say all’1.)

How would I express “the train is late”?

Mirror in orario with in ritardo:

• Il treno è in ritardo. (The train is late.)
• Il treno arriva in ritardo. (The train arrives late.)